Monrovia — As a fresh Ebola outbreak unfolds in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC), one of Liberia's leading public health voices, Dugbeh Christopher Nyan, is urging urgent action grounded in the painful lessons of the country's own epidemic battle.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera, Dr. Nyan, former Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, framed the current situation not as a distant crisis, but as a warning signal Liberia and the region cannot afford to ignore.
"We've been here before," he said. "And what we learned then must guide what we do now."
Lessons from Liberia's Darkest Hours
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Dr. Nyan played a role during the 2014-2016 Ebola Crisis, one of the deadliest outbreaks in modern history, which devastated Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
He credited the eventual containment of the virus to swift international intervention and a coordinated global response.
According to him, the rapid deployment of expertise, including logistical and military support from the United States, proved decisive.
Equally important was the collaboration among multinational public health teams, researchers, and governments.
"When resources, both material and financial, were brought together, we were able to quell the outbreak," Dr. Nyan explained.
He believed that the same level of coordination is urgently needed now in Central Africa, particularly in the DRC and neighboring Uganda, where cases linked to less common Ebola strains have raised new concerns.
A Different Virus, A More Complex Fight
Dr. Nyan cautions that the current outbreak presents a different scientific challenge.
The West African epidemic was largely driven by the Zaire strain of Ebola, for which vaccines were eventually developed.
However, recent outbreaks in parts of Central and East Africa have involved rarer strains, complicating response strategies.
"The strain we are seeing now is not the same as what we experienced," he noted.
"That means the tools we used before may not be fully effective."
Still, he sees opportunity in existing scientific progress.
Vaccines developed for earlier strains, he said, could potentially be adapted into multivalent versions capable of targeting multiple Ebola variants.
'Hope In New Technology--But Time Is Critical'
Dr. Nyan pointed to advances in mRNA technology, widely used during the global fight against COVID-19, as a potential game-changer.
"If we apply that same technology, we can accelerate vaccine development significantly," he said.
He estimates that, with adequate investment and global commitment, an effective vaccine response to the current strain could be developed within months.
But he also issued a note of caution: limited prior research on rare Ebola strains could slow progress.
"There is still a lot of work to do," he warned. "Some of these strains have not been studied extensively."
Beyond vaccines, Dr. Nyan emphasized that testing and community cooperation remain central to controlling outbreaks.
During Liberia's crisis, fear and misinformation initially led to resistance in some communities. But as the severity of the virus became undeniable, more citizens began to accept testing and isolation measures.
Dr. Nyan himself contributed to the response by developing a diagnostic tool capable of distinguishing Ebola from other illnesses such as Malaria and typhoid, diseases with similar early symptoms.
"Testing helped us identify cases quickly and stop transmission," he said. "Without it, the outbreak would have been much worse."
What Liberia Must Do Now
With the virus once again active on the continent, Dr. Nyan says Liberia must not become complacent.
Despite improvements in surveillance and response systems, he warns that the country will remain at risk due to regional travel and porous borders.
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He is calling for strengthened preparedness measures, including enhanced disease surveillance, continued training for health workers, public awareness campaigns, and rapid response readiness.
The World Health Organization has repeatedly stressed that outbreaks must be contained at their source to prevent global spread, a message Dr. Nyan strongly echoes.
"This is a moment to act"
For Dr. Nyan, the situation in the DRC is more than a public health alert; it is a test of whether the world has truly learned from past epidemics.
"Preparedness is not optional," he said. "The virus moves fast, but with the right systems, we can move faster."
As Liberia watches developments in Central Africa, his message is clear: vigilance, science, and coordination. Do not panic, must define the response. Because in the fight against Ebola, delay is the most dangerous risk of all.
